From the Ground Up - Congressman Bill Flores

A couple of weeks ago Congressman Bill Flores met with a group of Brazos Valley agricultural producers.

They spoke about issues and policies being discussed in Washington that could have an impact on agriculture.

"The most prevalent complaint that I hear from people that have come into my office the last ten weeks, or that I've seen in the district the last ten weeks have been, get the boot of the federal government off my neck, and you give me the set of initials and I've heard complaints about it, whether it's EPA, Fish and Wildlife, OSHA, Department of Labor, Wage and Hour."

Bill Flores is the 17th district's representative in the U.S. House.

"There are some impediments that are on the horizon in terms of your ability on an arms- length basis to go sell what you produce, and my goal is to peel those back to put you in a position where a buyer and a seller can have an arms-length transaction, with a minimum of federal interference"

Flores says there is some pending legislation that could help level the global playing field for agriculture.

"I want all the free trade agreements that we have under study today to be passed, so that you have the greatest possible markets for what you do.

On the cost side of your business, I'd like to drive, to get the federal impact on your cost structure reduced. We've seen what federal activity and inactivity and over reach has done to energy prices. That hurts you guys everyday as well as every other American."

The Farm Appropriations bill will be coming through Congress in the next few weeks.

"We will be working on drought assistance as part of that. I think the sense of the Congress is ultimately to try and put everybody on the same playing field, but still recognizing that agriculture has some unique characteristics because there are factors we can't control."

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